A Noble Night
by Garnetto
Summary: Garnet knew Zidane before the events of FFIX -


A Noble Night  
  
Garnet rolled over in her sleep. She was having those strange dreams again. She frowned before snapping open her eyes and sitting up sharply.  
  
Looking around, she saw that she was alone in her bedroom. She wiped the sleep away from her eyes before pulling back her bedding. She took a step out of bed, her long white nightie taking its rightful place at her ankles. The silk brushed over her body and made Garnet shiver a little.  
  
She headed to the window. What were those dreams about? Was it telling her something? She closed her eyes in deep thought. She could remember every single detail of her repetitive dream. A storm with an eye looking down on her. A little girl in a boat. A woman…who were they? Garnet shook her head. She needed to cool off. Quietly she opened her window. The catch dropped and Garnet frowned, hoping no one had heard. She lowered herself onto the window pain and looked down at the ground. It seemed a long way down. She looked across towards the houses of Alexandria. There was not one light on in any house. Garnet slowly climbed down a little way of the wall, still gripping the window ledge. When she was far enough down to dangle, she reached across to grasp hold of the flags that were hanging outside her window. She smiled to herself and thought it ironic that the much fussed over birthday decorations would come in handy to get away from it all. Using the flag banners, she abseiled down the side of the wall, dropping as she reached the ground. She looked up at the banner, now hanging in the breeze, and thought how she would make an excuse up this time. She shrugged and stepped away.  
  
Two Knight of Pluto stood guard by the Fountain. Garnet hid behind a statue and wondered how she would get them to move. They were usually away from this place, patrolling somewhere else at this time. Garnet searched around and found a chunk of hard soil in the flowerbed. She grinned to herself before picking it up and throwing it hard behind her. It hit the ground hard. The two Knights spun around and ran towards the source of the noise. Garnet cowered behind the statue until then ran past. She got up and sprinted towards the Gondola that rest unattended on the waters edge. Garnet jumped aboard and looked back at the two Knights searching the yard for the source of the noise, before taking the paddle and rowing towards the memorial island.  
  
Garnet loved this place. She always came here in the night to think. Sometimes she came to talk to her father. Her mother once said to her, 'Garnet, when I die, I wished to be buried next to your father, on the Memorial Island.'  
  
Garnet had smiled at this, and agreed, but inside, felt sad her mother had spoken about such a thing. Garnet could not imagine herself alone.  
  
But right now, she felt alone. Her mother had changed a lot since her father's death. Garnet signed before turning to face the water.  
  
The moon reflected off the deep crystal water. It caste lunar sparkles on the surface of the water. Garnet sat on the ledge and dipped her feet into the cool water.  
  
She lay back and looked up at the stars. All was peaceful…until she has to go back…back to being royalty, having people fuss over you, having your freedom taken away.  
  
Garnet could hear the voices of people trying hard not to be heard. It sounded like they were almost arguing. Garnet giggled to herself, trying to imagine the two Knights wondering where the noise was, and what the Gondola was doing on the other side.  
  
She heard a snapping sound and shot up. It wasn't the Knights….someone else was on the Island with her. Garnet spun around, looking towards the trees. There was defiantly movement there. Slowly, she walked up the aisle towards the sound of the noise. Was it a monster? Or an intruder?  
  
Garnet could hear a voice quite clearly now.  
  
'Blank you fool! This is an Island! The castle is over the waters!'  
  
'Jeez! No biggy! We'll have to go to plan B instead…'  
  
'Damn it, I 'ain't being the lead this time! Marcus can! Now help me back over this wall.'  
  
Garnet felt afraid. She took a deep breath and called out. 'Who's there?'  
  
'Shit! Your own your own!'  
  
'Blank!!! Ahhh shoot! Better hide...'  
  
Garnet kept advancing forward. The rustling in the trees had stopped. She made her way up the steps, listening, watching for any movement. As she got up to the trees, she saw there was nothing there.  
  
'Maybe I'm still half asleep...' She said to herself.  
  
She turned around to head back to cooling down her feet, when there was a huge rustling noise. She spun around to be met by a glowing pair of eyes. Something knocked her backwards and she fell down the step, hitting her head hard.  
  
'Hey, are you ok?'  
  
Garnet could here one of the voices again. This time it was much louder. She had one hell of a headache. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw a blurred figure stood looking down on her. As her eyes adjusted, she saw it was a man. He had his hand offered out to her, ready to help her up. Garnet backed away.  
  
'Hey, relax…I wont hurt you…'  
  
Garnet looked at the man. He had blonde curtains and…a tail. Garnet looked up at him, a confused look on her face.  
  
'Who are you?' She asked, still on the ground.  
  
'Me? My names not important.'  
  
Garnet looked him up and down. 'A-are you a Knight of Pluto?'  
  
He stared at Garnet and had what appeared to be a confused look on his face. '…Yes…a Knight of Pluto…'  
  
Garnet got up and brushed herself off. 'What are you doing here? You know this Island is for Royalty or invited guests only.'  
  
'Well, I heard you scream, so I came to help.'  
  
Garnet looked at the Knight. 'What was that?'  
  
The Knight grinned. 'It was just a Dove.'  
  
'A Dove? Oh…I…'  
  
The Knight laughed, 'Its ok Princess, I wont tell anyone you were scared of a Dove.'  
  
Garnet clenched her fists. 'You better not…' She turned around and noticed the Gondoa was gone. She forgot to tie it…was she stuck here with this…weird looking Knight?  
  
He smiled.  
  
'Funny, I don't remember seeing you before,' Garnet said, a sly look in her eye.  
  
'Yea…I'm only on guard at night time.'  
  
Garnet paused. She felt deep inside that this man was a stranger, and that he wasn't who he said he was.  
  
'So, how does it feel to have Beatrix as your leader?'  
  
'Oh yea, he's a great leader, he's so caring for his troops,' he said confidently.  
  
Garnet grinned at him.  
  
'Ugh…Beatrix is a woman…isn't she…'  
  
Garnet laughed, 'you tell me! You're the Knight of Pluto.'  
  
He scratched his head. 'Captain…um…ya know…he's nice to…'  
  
'I knew it! You're not a Knight of Pluto! Who are you!' She yelled, getting ready to fight if necessary.  
  
'Wow wow! Take it easy! You got it wrong, I'm not gonna hurt you or anything!' he said, a nervous smile on his face.  
  
'But you lied so you must be hostile in one-way or another! It was your I heard before, wasn't it!'  
  
He swallowed hard. 'U-um…yea…it was me.' He advanced on her.  
  
'Stay where you are!'  
  
'Wait! I wont hurt you, I just wanna clear this mess up!'  
  
'I'll scream!' Garnet yelled.  
  
'Shhh! Ok…see…I've stopped,' He said, putting up his hands and stopping.  
  
Garnet looked around. She was trapped. By the time help arrived after she screamed, the man could have done something. She looked around, wondering if there was a quicker way to get back to the castle. She knew there wasn't.  
  
'Princess Garnet….'  
  
'Quiet!'  
  
'Princess….calm down…if I was going to hurt you, I would have done it by now.'  
  
'Who are you!'? Garnet said nervously, picking herself up from the floor.  
  
'I'm from Treno?'  
  
Garnet stared at him. 'Treno? So you're a thief!'  
  
'No...no, I'm not a thief,' he said, scratching his head.  
  
'Well you're not a noble…and in Treno, if you're not a noble you're a thief.'  
  
He sighed. 'So, just because I'm not a noble, like yourself, I'm a thief? That's harsh Princess...'  
  
Garnet looked at him. 'How dare you, I am Princess, I can address you as I like, plus you're the one trespassing!'  
  
'Just coz your Princess don't mean your better than everyone, I mean, sure you're the cutest girl I've ever seen, and…your good at escaping…and…I think I'm falling for you….but it doesn't mean your better!'  
  
Garnet blinked at the man. She went slightly red, but likely it wasn't noticeable in the poor light they were in. 'You still haven't told me your name.'  
  
'It doesn't matter.'  
  
Garnet frowned. 'Why are you here if your not going to hurt me?'  
  
The man grinned. 'Just…checking the place out..'  
  
Garnet turned around. She was hoping a Knight would have heard them talking and come to save her by now.  
  
'Garnet, you don't need to worry, I wont harm you.'  
  
Garnet took a seat and soaked her feet in the water again. 'I'm not afraid of you, I know if you tried anything I could take you…'  
  
He man laughed and took a seat next to her. 'Well…seeing as your stuck over here, I'll wait til some helo arrives.' He grinned at her. 'For a Princess, you ain't too bad.'  
  
'For a thief, Knight and liar, you aren't too bad either Mr I don't know your name,' Garnet replied at haste.  
  
They both giggled. There was silence.  
  
Garnet looked up at the stars. She wondered what would happen in the morning, and what would happen if someone came to rescue her and found her with a peasant. She could see the man out of the corner of her eye. He was staring at her bare legs. 'W-what?' She said.  
  
'Nothing…'  
  
'No…what?'  
  
'Well…you have beautiful legs…'  
  
Garnet jumped to her feet, 'pervert!' she yelled swinging for him.  
  
The man ducked.  
  
'HELP ME!!!!' Garnet shouted to the shore.  
  
'Damn it Princess I said I wasn't going to do anything!' He ran towards her and dragged her to the ground.  
  
'HELP!' Garnet screamed.  
  
The man put his hand over her mouth. 'Shhhhh! Garnet! You wanna get me executed?!'  
  
Garnet mumbled.  
  
'Look! I aid I wasn't going to hurt you!'  
  
Garnet rolled over and kicked him off. 'You're a liar, you're a pervert, you're a commoner, you're a thief and you're here alone with me! I don't trust you at all.'  
  
He grabbed Garnet's shoulders. 'You know, your really stuck up! You just assume that because your not a commoner and you've heard rumours, we're all bad. Well guess what! We're not! And one day you'll see it! One day you'll meet a commoner that you care about, and you'll wanna give up this life for them, and trust me, I know! I know your not happy here, and I know you wanna run away, and when you do, you'll meet that person!'  
  
Garnet stared at him. He knew so much about her. 'Get your hands off me…' she said quietly.  
  
'I thought you could take me on if I tried anything,' the man said sarcastically. He frowned.  
  
Garnet shook him off and turned to leave. As she did, the man pulled her back to him and kissed her roughly. She didn't hesitate, instead she went with it. Its what she wanted after all….  
  
The man pulled away and stared at her. 'S-shit…I-I'm sorry…'  
  
Garnet said nothing.  
  
The man frowned and shook his head. 'Damn…sexual harrasemt on a Princess is death for sure…'  
  
Garnet smiled. 'I didn't mind it…and I wouldn't mind it again.'  
  
The man looked up and cocked a brow. Before he could say anything Garnet had pulled his lips to hers.  
  
'This is weird…it's not how a Princess should act,' Garnet said a few minutes later. She was lying on the man's lap, and he stroked her hair softly.  
  
'Don't worry,' he grinned, 'It's how a lot of the girls I've been with act.'  
  
Garnet didn't understand but she took it as a compliment. A light shinned on her face. She sat up quickly. It was the Gondoa with Knights in.  
  
Garnet spun around to face the an, but he was gone. She got up and ran to the trees to see him climbing up the wall.  
  
'Hey! You would leave me without saying goodbye?!'  
  
The man turned back to her. 'It isn't goodbye Garnet, we'll meet again.' He winked.  
  
'But you didn't even tell me your name!' she yelled, tears in her eyes.  
  
'…I'll tell you when we next meet.' With that, he jumped over the wall. His tail was all Garnet saw leave.  
  
'Steiner?' Garnet asked the next day.  
  
'Yes Princess?' Steiner said, saluting.  
  
'Is there anyone of the Knight of Pluto that does just the night watch?'  
  
Steiner looked at her. 'Princess?'  
  
'Ok…is there anyone in the Knight of Pluto with…a tail…and…blonde hair…'  
  
'Princess, I'm afraid not.'  
  
Garnet sighed. 'I thought not…'  
  
And so Garnet's sixteenth birthday arrived. Her favourite play had just begun, but Garnet was too sad to join in the celebrations. Even after all this time, she still remembered the words of her Knight. He knew she wanted to leave the castle. Maybe he was right about her meeting a commoner and caring for them. Or maybe it was his way or hitting on her. She wouldn't know til she found out. 'Mother?'  
  
Queen Brahne turned around. 'What is it Garnet? Can't you see the show has started?'  
  
'I apologise. Would you excuse me for a moment?' Garnet got up from her seat and headed to her room. 'Tonight…I shall take leave…and I will find him.' 


End file.
